USA Hockey: Little Chicago

McKeen's director of scouting Max Giese files notes on several promising prospects from the Chicago Mission and the Chicago Young Americans. The impressive Robbie Russo, TJ Tynan, Brett Curran, Ryan McKay and Robbie Hall are featured.

Chicago Mission

Robbie Russo is regarded as one of the best defenseman in his age group and already has scouts salivating over his offensive upside. Joining Russo is T.J. Tynan, who like Russo, is already committed to Notre Dame.

Robbie Russo (2011), D, Chicago Mission

Gifted offensive defenseman that will spend the next two seasons with the USNTDP before heading to Notre Dame .. his supreme skill with the puck is matched by his anticipation and he's a beautiful passer that can lead the rush .. poised beyond his years and boasts the remarkable vision to break the game open with his puck movement .. such a smooth and skilled player that always wants the puck, accentuated by a highlight-reel-caliber spin'o'rama move .. has a god given talent to work the puck on the point, however he still needs to improve on his right-handed shot and upgrade the velocity behind it .. an agile skater that extends his legs wide and carves the ice with his edges, although he needs to quicken his foot speed .. presently, he lacks strength but he's well built and the muscle will come .. requires improvement in the defensive zone, although he's such a smart player that he'll figure it out .. quarterbacks the powerplay and is on the penalty kill, despite being the youngest player on the team .. could be a special offensive defenseman if his game comes together.

T.J. Tynan (2010), C Chicago Mission

A small, playmaking centerman that is committed to Notre Dame .. a gifted skater that is graceful and fast on his skates .. boasts some electric moves and does a nice job shielding the puck .. will always be a small player, although he appears to have grown a bit bigger and stronger in recent viewings .. creative playmaker that sees the periphery with ease and looks opponents off before dishing his passes .. gets his nose dirty and will dig for pucks along the boards .. good in the faceoff circle, but doesn't always stop and start when away from the puck.

Chicago Young Americans

Defenseman Brett Curran has received some interest from teams in the OHL and his goaltender Ryan McKay has generated interest from several USHL teams.

Brett Curran (2011), D, Chicago Young Americans

Requires your attention because he has decent size and strength for a 1993-born player and is playing at the Midget Major level, but ultimately, he's a bland defenseman that doesn't have dynamic upside .. Curran is not a great skater and needs to work on his first few steps .. his offensive potential is limited because he doesn't see the ice well and doesn't own a bomb for a shot .. prone to forcing shots into the oppositions legs, although he can accurately execute a hard tape-to-tape pass occasionally .. holds the offensive zone well and maintains good gaps .. defensively uses his stick well, but he is often out of position while covering his crease area .. his health for the remainder of the season is a concern, because he was recently carried off the ice on a stretcher after he suffered a severe concussion from his head hitting the glass sideways.

Ryan McKay (2010), G, Chicago Young Americans

An economical, first-save goaltender that does a nice job getting square to the puck and in position .. often makes the first save look routine and does a decent job handling rebounds using both his glove and stick .. moves in and out of his butterfly fine, although his pad control can be a bit sloppy and this leads to him opening up some holes for shooters to exploit .. his lateral movement consists of short and sharp steps .. holds his glove too high when in his stance and he needs to quicken all of his movements to become better at making secondary saves .. a character player that is involved on the bench during the games that he's not playing.

Robbie Hall (2010), D, Chicago Young Americans

Shows some creativity while moving the puck on the point and he does own a good right-handed shot .. despite having his heels nearly clicking as he skates, he does move adequately along the ice .. the skill set is here, although his decision making at times, is poor .. does an adequate job in his own zone but his physicality is like a magic trick, as sometimes you will see and then it will disappear right before your eyes.